The Southern Bench of the National Green Tribunal on Friday has ordered status quo on carrying out electrical transmission line work by Tamil Nadu Transmission Corporation Limited (Tantransco) in a farm run by Tractors and Farm Equipment Limited (TAFE) in Kelambakkam.
The Bench, comprising Judicial Member P. Jyothimani and expert Member R. Naganderan, passed the order on a petition filed by P.B. Sampath, representing TAFE.
The petitioner said the company had established ‘J’ Farm – a not-for-profit adaptive research centre spread over 200 acres at Kelambakkam 50 years ago.
Of this, 90 acres is used for training and the rest is used for bio-friendly farming. Tantransco set up two high tension towers occupying over 900 square meters each for carrying electricity cables.
Though the corporation had assured that there would be minimal damage to trees, the applicant expressed the apprehension that 200 trees would be chopped down for overhead cables to be strung. This is because the land below the high tension line has to be barren.
Admitting the petition, the tribunal ordered status quo and posted the matter to August 26 for further hearing.
The tribunal, hearing a petition which alleged that 200 trees would be chopped for Tantransco work, ordered status quo
